O. L. DAY'S DRUG STORE.
There was a druggist, O. L. Day, in Medicine Lodge who was unlawfully
selling intoxicating liquor. He himself was drinking; also his clerk.
I got a knowledge of a deposit of this contraband goods. I put a little
boy on my buggy horse and sent a letter to our dear Sister Cain, who
was president of our local union. She called several of the women together
at our W. C. T. V. room and made known to them what I knew of
O. L. Day receiving these intoxicants. There was a great deal of discussion,
but at last it was decided that we should investigate. At that
time I was regarded as a fanatic, and many of these were afraid for me to
plan for them, so I kept very quiet. It was finally agreed that Mrs. A. L.
Noble and Mrs. Runyan should go first and see how matters were. Sister
Runyan finally said before we got there: "Let Mrs. Nation go in my
place." I said: "Thank God!" Oh, I was so glad, for I felt that I could
handle this case.
O. L. Day was a real gentleman by nature. He was the man with
one fault, and that was alcoholism. Mrs. Noble said: "You do the talking."
While we were in the W. C. T. U. room discussing, Sister Runyan
said: "I will not have anything to do with this if Mrs. Nation does." I
kept still, praying for the raid to go through, even if I was not in it; and
when it came to the point, I had just what I wanted. I felt entirely equal
to the occasion. Sister Runyan did not understand me then, for we are
the best of friends and she has been true to me in my efforts to defend
the homes of Kansas. I told Mr. Day, we, as a W. C. T. U. thought he had
not been dealing fairly, and I looked at his little back room suspiciously,
as much as to say: "I would like to see what you have in there." He
said: "Ladies would you like to go in the room?" I said: "Yes." I
knew I could discover the secret. I saw behind the prescription case a
ten gallon keg. I said to myself: "That is a find." About this time the
rest of the women, accompanied by Sister Cain, came in the front door.
Mr. Day was as white as death all the time. As soon as he went to the
front I smelled the keg bung. I turned it on one side and rolled it to the
front saying; "Women, this is the whiskey!" Mr. Day's clerk caught
the end of the keg to turn it out of my hands and on the other side of it
was Jim Gano, the marshal, who I think hauled all the divekeepers' goods
to them. He was a Republican and in with the whiskey ring and a
"rummy" himself. I then placed a foot on each side of the keg and held
it firm with both feet and hands. Jim Gano sprang in front of me and
with his chest against my head, I thought certainly he would break my
neck. I called to the women to help me. Mrs. Noble caught him by one
side of the collar and some one the other side and held him back against
the counter until I could roll the keg out into the street. All this time
Sister Cain, like a general, was saying: "Don't any one touch these
women. They are right. They are christian women, trying to save the
boys of our state." I called for a hatchet from the hardware store of Mr.
Case. He was very angry and said: "No!" He also, was drinking too
much. I called to Mrs. Noble to get a sledge hammer from the blacksmith
shop across the street. She did and handed it to me. I struck with all my
might. The whiskey flew high in the air. The ladies came near to pour
it out, but I said: "Save some." So Sister Runyan got a bottle and filled
it. Then we poured it out and set it afire. I fell on my knees in the middle
of the street and thanked God for this victory. Dr. Gould, a man
"fit for treason, stratagem and spoils," was the one to help Day dispose
of these drinks, as many doctors do. This doctor gave out that this was
"California Brandy", costing seventy-five dollars, that he had advised Day
to get it for medical purposes.
Mr. Day was at this time getting a permit to sell it for medical
purposes. He appeared in court to prove he was a graduated pharmacist,
never drank, and never had a clerk that did. The W. C. T. U. were there
in a body. We contested his right to have the permit. Poor man. I pitied
him. He was very much under the influence of intoxicants. When asked;
"What that was in the keg the ladies rolled out of his drug store on the
16th of February?" he said: "It was California brandy." When asked: "If
he knew the taste of whiskey and brandy," he said: "Yes." We handed him
a bottle of this that he said was brandy. He pronounced it "a poor
quality of sour mash whiskey." Sister Runyan was then put on the stand
and said: "It came from the keg that was smashed."
This man was so humbled that he sold out in a month and left
Medicine
Lodge. There are parties in that town who are more responsible
than O. L. Day. They did every thing in their power to have him do that
which was his ruin. In retaliation for this the republican rum element
one night made an attack on Sister Cain's and my house, broke windows
and threw rocks, and broke my buggy. They also sent a negro to my
house, named Haskel, a noted bootlegger. He asked for an interview.
He had quite a tale to tell me about hearing some men say that if the
women appeared against Day that my house would go. I am so well
acquainted with the colored race I could read him from the first and knew
that these "Rummies" had put this negro up to intimidate me. I listened
as if I believed. Then I said: "Haskel you ought to know by this time
that such men as these will not prevent me from doing my duty, besides
should my home be burned, it would be a lecture in favor of my cause
that would be worth more to me than the home. Now Haskel you get in
the company of these men and you tell them what I have told you." This
negro pretended to me that he came to me as a friend. When I told him
what I did, his expression was amusing to see.
